WEST HARTFORD, June 1 – Depth throughout its lineup helped the Avon High boys tennis team win its third straight Class M state championship this week at Conard in West Hartford.
Three of Avon’s four singles players won three matches and advanced to the quarterfinal round before falling. In doubles, the team of Gabe Levin and Andre Wang won two matches and Michael Arciero and Alex Saslow won a match.
The doubles team of Eric and Evan Selzer won five matches before losing in the championship match to Tolland’s Andrew Schadt and Dan Gadoury, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. A year ago, Schadt and teammate Dylan Rogen had eliminated the Selzers with a hard-fought, three-set semifinal victory.
It was enough for Avon to outlast Guilford, 20-18 for the championship – the closest tournament in Avon’s three-year run. The Falcons won by eight over Joel Barlow a year ago and six over Stonington in 2011.
The Selzer brothers were impressive in the tournament. They didn’t drop a game in their first three matches, winning each by margins of 6-0, 6-0. They dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win in the quarterfinals. Stephen Dreznick and Grayson Kearney of Joel Barlow won a few games from the Selzer brothers but lost in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-3.
In singles, Avon’s Sam Flaxman was seeded eighth. He won his first two matches before rallying for a thrilling win over Jim Keiler of Platt High in the third round. Keiler won the opening set 6-4 before Flaxman won 6-2. In the decisive third set, Flaxman prevailed, 10-4. Flaxman’s tournament ended with a 6-0, 6-0 loss to eventual champion and top seeded Bradley Orban of Foran-Milford.
Avon’s John Burdick won his first three bouts and dropped just one game in that stretch. But in the quarterfinals, No.6 Burdick lost to No. 3 Dan Rombala of Berlin, 6-2,4-6, 7-5.
No. 2 seed Sam Aronson of Avon only dropped one game in his first three victories but had retire with an injury in a quarterfinal loss to No. 7 Evan Powell of Guilford, 4-6, 4-1, retired.
BOYS TENNIS
Canton fifth in Class S
WEST HARTFORD – The Canton High boys tennis team put a cap on a successful season with a fifth place finish in the Class S tournament. East Catholic nipped Weston, 21-20 to win the tournament with Woodland Regional third with 11 points and Housatonic fourth with 10. Canton earned nine points.
Ninth seeded Peter Jutras won a pair of matches beating Thomaston’s Will Hartle, 6-1, 6-1 and St. Bernard’s Kevin Peters, 6-0, 6-2. Jutras was eliminated in the third round by Dan Warning of East Catholic, 6-0, 6-2.
Canton’s Ben Corbett won a tough opening round match with Old Saybrook’s Dan Capuano, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 before being eliminated by Ryan Foster of Hartford Classical, 6-0, 6-1. Canton’s Eric Scott rolled by Weston’s Logan Stanley, 6-0, 6-0 before dropping a hard-fought decision to Thomaston’s Jack Hartle, 7-5, 6-3.
In doubles, Canton’s Chris Coman and Richie Helfer beat Woodland’s Michael Roulantis and John Waslh, 7-5, 6-2 before being eliminated by East Catholic’s Mike Dorman and Adam Weinstein, 6-1, 6-0.
Canton (12-2, 12-2) finished second in the NCCC this spring to undefeated Avon (18-0, 14-0 NCCC).
GIRLS TENNIS
Avon ousted in quarterfinals
AVON, May 29 – No. 11 Guilford eliminated the Falcons in the Class M girls tennis tournament quarterfinals with a 7-0 decision. Avon, which beat Sheehan in the second round, 5-2, ends the season with a 17-3 record.
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.


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